Eight Oakville residents are part of Saskatchewan-based Dog River Howlers squads competing in an international rugby sevens tournament this week in Germany.

Abbey Park high school students Lucas Perron and Aidan Foley, along with Oakville Trafalgar’s Quinn Hopkins, are part of the Howlers’ under-16 men’s team playing in the Heidelberg SAS International Junior Sevens tournament. OT’s Stephanie Schooling, Garth Webb’s Chauncey Downer-Hincks and Jordyn French, White Oaks’ Thea White and Maplegrove elementary school’s Taylor Black are on the under-17 women’s team.

All eight players are members of Upright Rugby Academy. Upright head coach Tyler Leggatt has a good relationship with Howlers president Karl Fix and recommended the players when Fix was looking for players to fill out the Howlers’ rosters.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our junior athletes to compete at such a high leel of competition, in what is arguably the world’s fastest-growing sport: sevens rugby. With the inclusion of sevens rugby in the Pan Am Games and the Olympics in 2016, many of our players have their eyes set on one day representing their country in rugby at the Olympics,” Leggatt said.